IHC defers hearing in £190m case
The capital's high court on Tuesday granted time to the counsel of former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife to consult his clients if they wished the court to first hear their main appeals in the £190 million case.
Interestingly, authorities have not allowed any of his counsels to meet Imran Khanwho is detained at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jailfor consultation on his cases for the last five months.
A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif took up Imran and Bushra Bibi's appeals in the £190m case as well as the couple's applications seeking suspension of their sentences in the case.
The PTI founder and Bushra Bibi were convicted in January 2025 in the £190 million case and have since filed both appeals against their sentences and applications seeking suspension of sentence and release on bail.
During the hearing, Justice Dogar remarked that if the main appeal is formally taken up, the court may not proceed with the suspension of sentence applications.
NAB Special Prosecutor Javed Ashraf argued that if notices in the main appeals have not been issued, the suspension of sentence applications cannot be entertained. Imran's counsel Salman Safdar opposed the stance, accusing NAB of attempting to prolong the incarceration of his clients.
Safdar told the court that his priority at this stage was securing suspension of sentence and bail rather than proceeding with the main appeals. The court subsequently granted time for consultation and adjourned the hearing until April 6.
Meanwhile, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court adjourned the hearing of a defamation case involving Imran Khan and PM Shehbaz Sharif until a decision is announced in another related review petition.